


Piece of Cake

by Meril



Category: Seiyou Kottou Yougashiten | Antique Bakery
Genre: Gen, Yuletide, challenge:Yuletide 2006
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-12-25
Updated: 2006-12-25
Packaged: 2017-11-22 11:51:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/609525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meril/pseuds/Meril
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Deko makes a request of the bakery that may be easier than it appears.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Piece of Cake

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Daegaer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daegaer/gifts).



The bakery was quiet. Eiji Kanda knew the bakery wouldn't be quiet for long. It was a Sunday morning and the first crowds of people would be arriving as soon as the bakery opened. He hadn't realized how much he missed working there until he had been gone for two weeks. He had arrived back from France to a few surprises; Chikage had moved out of Tachibana's place and Tachibana had apparently finally mastered the less fine arts of pastry creation. Chikage hadn't returned to work yet. Tachibana had been muttering under his breath, something about "he's still unpacking." Eiji couldn't believe that it was taking more than three weeks to move into an apartment; then again, it was Chikage. Everyone, thus, was incredibly busy. He couldn't imagine how bad it must have been for Ono and Tachibana and he was surprised that they hadn't lost any customers in his absence. It seemed like there were more coming in all the time. He set to work preparing the first batch of pastries and cakes. After a while, he heard more sounds. He was so engrossed in his work that he hadn't noticed the bakery open. Unfortunately, the first noise he paid any attention to was Tachibana groaning. Eiji looked up and saw Deko on the other side of the counter.

"Deko is looking for Chi," she said to Tachibana. "Isn't he at work today?"

Tachibana looked a bit confused. Deko had this effect on people. "He hasn't been working here for a while, because he's still moving into his new apartment."

"He has a new apartment? He didn't tell Deko! Deko needs to ask him for some money. Deko wants to buy her mother a cake. There isn't anything in the house to make cake."

"Yes, he does have a new apartment." Tachibana wrote the address on an order sheet and handed it to her. "He should be there today, unpacking."

"Thank you!" She rushed off.

Eiji shook his head at Tachibana. "Couldn't you just give her a free cake? I thought you said she was like family."

"I don't give Chikage free money for working here. Why should I give Deko free cake?"

Eiji didn't feel like mentioning that Tachibana had been giving Chikage free money, as he still was being paid although he hadn't shown up for work. Sometimes it didn't pay to mention the boss's lack of logic. He went back to work.

That Sunday ended up to be busier than usual. They had sold out of everything before the end of the night. They were locking the shop up when Deko returned. "Are you closed already? Deko still needs to buy a cake. Chi gave Deko money for it. Deko and Chi were unpacking boxes all day."

Eiji blinked. Did that mean that Chikage had been telling the truth about not having his boxes unpacked?

Tachibana shook his head. "We're all out of cakes, Deko. We'll have more tomorrow."

Deko started to cry. "But Deko wants to give her mother a cake today! She is so busy writing and hasn't paid any attention to Deko in so long!"

She was so cute when she was crying, Eiji thought. "Can't we open the shop back up for an hour or so? There's a very quick cake that I can make."

Tachibana grudgingly nodded. "I suppose."

Deko jumped on Eiji and bounced up and down. "Thank you!  Thank you! Deko is so happy now!"

He wondered how Chikage put up with it. She was cute, and her behavior was cute, but that only lasted as long as she wasn't jumping on you. That kid was big. "She'll be happier once we go in and start making the cake."

Deko promptly jumped off and followed the men back into the bakery. "Can Deko help you? Deko wants to learn how to bake good cakes. Deko would make them at home again but Deko forgot to get the ingredients and it's too late to bake at home."

The recipe Eiji had in mind was easy enough. It was something any kid could do. The ingredients were common and took almost no time to mix. Besides, she had just said she had baked before. What could go wrong? He took a look at Tachibana, who seemed to know what he was thinking because he was shaking his head. That was the problem with working for a pessimist. Or at least an occasional pessimist who knew Chikage and Deko entirely too well. "Of course you can. I'll find the ingredients and you can prepare them according to my direction. It won't be anything fancy but it will be a cake you can make at home if you remember the recipe."

He went into the kitchen with Deko following at his heels, gathering ingredients quickly. Flour, sugar, baking powder, milk, butter, vanilla, and an egg. Simple things, but he wasn't about to have a stranger mess up the master's kitchen. Nor would he have an untrained child this near his kitchen. Thankfully he wasn't there to see it.

"What's the name of this cake?" Deko asked.

It was...just cake. It didn't have a specific name, other than cake. He measured out the ingredients. "You can name it whatever you'd like, Deko."

"Deko will just call it cake."

"Then it's cake. Mix the flour, sugar, and baking powder in a bowl. Once it's mixed, hand it over to me and I'll put in the rest." Deko followed his instructions and watched him carefully as he finished the rest and poured them into pans. She looked carefully around the kitchen as the cakes baked. Eiji looked carefully at her. She certainly remembered more of his instructions than Chikage did. He hoped Tachibana was taking note, but he probably wasn't. He hadn't entered the kitchen at all while they were baking.

With the cakes done, Eiji packed one up for Deko to take home to her mother and put the other one on a plate. With no cake left over for the bakery employees at the end of the night, he had to have at least one bit of cake for himself.

"Are you still wanting to be a baker when you grow up, Deko?" Eiji asked. "I'm sure if the master was around, he'd give you more advice than I could. He's the chef you should really be looking up to."

"Yes, Deko wants to." She nodded her head vigorously. "Deko is going to keep on baking cakes and each one will be better than the other."

"No, she won't," said Tachibana. "I've lived with Chikage all that time, and his cooking never improved."

Eiji looked quickly at Deko, but she didn't appear to have understood or acknowledged Tachibana's insult. "We made two. We'll all taste this one."

Tachibana moved slightly away from the cake. "It's all cake; what does it matter what this one tastes like?"

"You can't judge a cake without tasting it." And, Eiji thought, Tachibana can be tactful when he needs to be. As long as he treats Deko more like a customer--or a female member of his family--than an employee, things will be all right.

Tachibana took a small bite of the leftover cake. "It tastes...like cake. You know. Sugar and fat."

Deko smiled. "Deko is glad it tastes like cake. Thank you."

Eiji sighed quietly in relief. It tasted like cake. Sometimes that's all one can ask for.

 


End file.
